NBA commissioner Adam Silver recently spoke on how to avoid teams purposefully tanking a season for a shot at drafting a once-in-a-generation player, such as Victor Wembanyama.
Wembanyama, 18, is already changing the league and he has yet to play a single game.
Silver, 60, said tanking is a “serious issue” and claims “hundreds” of meetings have taken place to find a solution.
The commissioner said relegation could be a way to ensure the worst-performing franchises continue to compete until the end of each season.
Silver, however, quickly backtracked by saying relegation would disrupt the league’s business model, and that G League teams aren’t equipped to get promoted to the NBA.
NBA players who have changed the rules
The NBA continues to evolve every year, but certain players have changed the rules due to them hacking the game.
Wilt Chamberlain is responsible for most of the rules in modern basketball, with each change meant to stop his absolute dominance.
One of the most recent rule changes occurred because James Harden would get to the free throw line nonstop by jumping into his defender while shooting.
Kobe Bryant is often considered to have been responsible for the NBA no longer allowing hand-checking, as he was getting too much of an advantage on offense.
Even if relegation doesn’t happen, Silver will find a way to keep the league competitive when a talent like Wembanyama is available.
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